Puna Geothermal Power Plant - An Island within an Island
We’re excited to announce that as of November 5, 2020 our Puna power plant has resumed operation supplying clean, renewable energy for Hawaii. We expect to reach full operation by the middle of 2021.
Over the past two and a half years, Ormat has been working closely with Hawaiian Electric to get our Puna Geothermal Power Plant back up and running after the devastating Kilauea Volcano eruption.
PGV came online in 1993, providing Hawai'i Island with clean, safe, renewable, reliable and affordable energy.
On Sunday afternoon, May 27th (Hawaiian time), the approaching lava from the erupting Kilauea volcano, blocked the main access road to the power plant, covered the wellheads of two geothermal wells, burnt the substation of the complex and an adjacent warehouse that stored a drilling rig.
“After safely securing the plant during the lava intrusion all we could do is sit back and watch this amazing phenomenon.” says Jordan Hara, Ormats power plant manager “I really appreciated Ormat’s commitment and support given to our Puna plant during this event and through recovery. When the lava stopped the next thing that came to my mind is when can we get back online”.
Our teams worked day and night to get the power plant back on. On November 5th, 2020, the electricity production partially resumed. We expect to gradually ramp up to 15 MW by the end of 2020, subject to the successful connection of an additional production well to the power plant.
Final goal is resuming full operation by the middle of 2021.
ABOUT ORMAT TECHNOLOGIES
With over five decades of experience, Ormat Technologies, Inc. is a leading geothermal Company and the only vertically integrated Company engaged in geothermal, recovered energy generation (REG) and Energy Storage.
With 68 U.S. patents, Ormat’s power solutions have been refined and perfected under the most grueling environmental conditions. Ormat has 578 employees in the United States and 830 overseas.
Ormat’s flexible, modular solutions for geothermal power, REG and Storage are ideal for the vast range of resource characteristics. The Company has engineered, manufactured and constructed power plants, which it currently owns or has installed to utilities and developers worldwide, totaling over 3,000 MW of gross capacity. Ormat’s current 933 MW generating portfolio is spread globally in the U.S., Guatemala, Guadeloupe, Honduras, Indonesia and Kenya.